Signals detected in the mainlobe of an array pattern tend to be strong signals in a combined beamformer output. Data-adaptive cancellation systems minimize the difference between the beamformer output and a reference signal, usually comprised of only white noise. Thus, without a mainlobe constraint, the adaptive process may minimize the beamformer output by rejecting mainlobe signals. Delta channel auxiliary signals effectively remove mainlobe signals from consideration with respect to operation of the data-adaptive process. This allows the system to detect and reject only unwanted sidelobe signals.
The general approach to adaptive cancellation of sidelobe signals is to incorporate independent auxiliary sensors in an array design. The response pattern for individual sensors tends to be approximately uniform, so signals collected by the sensors from all directions receive approximately equal gain. Commonly, without the benefit of array gain from a beamformer, the signals of interest, mainlobe signals, are weaker than interfering signals, so the interfering signals appear stronger in the auxiliary sensor outputs. Thus, an adaptive process using these auxiliary sensors will tend to suppress the interfering signals. However, if the signal of interest is stronger than the interferers, the adaptive process will tend to suppress the signal of interest instead. Furthermore, it is often not desirable, practical, or possible to add additional sensor elements to an array.